RNBecky84

I work in home care. Normally a physician will send our company a referral for home care. We contact the patient, ask to go to their home for the initial Start-of-Care visit, then start services at that agreed upon visit. Recently our intake team said we are now required to drive out to a patient's home if they don't answer our phone calls/ return our phone calls. Their thought is "we need to do a well check on them". My thought is "they are not our patient's yet a well-check should be completed by the police". Is this violating HIPAA by having us go to a patient's home without their consent? Sometimes these patient's aren't aware the original referral even happened, so us going out to see them could be a surprise. What's the difference between me and a door to door salesman at that point. One of our intake nurses says this violates HIPAA. I don't know if it does but don't want to violate HIPAA rules.